The Complete DET Score Guide for US & Canadian Universities

The Complete DET Score Guide for US & Canadian Universities | 50+ Schools Verified (2026)

Browse all DET prep posts by skill — Listening, Reading, Vocabulary & more

Verified 2026 Duolingo English Test score requirements for 50+ US and Canadian universities guide

Heads up before you scroll: The link below leads to a page with affiliate links.

Booking the official DET soon? There's no reason to pay full price. You can knock off up to 15% on your exam registration — plus an extra 10% on top prep platforms. I broke it all down here:

👉 How to Cut 15% Off Your DET + Arno vs. DET Practice — Full Breakdown

Why This Guide Exists

"I'm hitting around 115 on practice tests. Is that actually enough for the school I want?"

That question lands in my inbox constantly. And honestly? It's one of the most important things a DET student can ask — because the answer is never the same twice.

DET scores run from 10 to 160, and every institution draws its own line in the sand. There's no universal passing mark. What gets you into one school might fall short at another — sometimes by the same program, different campus.

So I put this together. I went through the official admissions pages of 50+ universities and colleges across the US and Canada, verified the numbers against current 2026 data, and organized everything you need in one place.

This is Part 1 of a 4-part series here on DETnT:

Part 1: Complete DET Requirements | 50+ US & Canadian Schools ◀ You're here

Part 2: DET for US State Universities | UC System, Big Ten & Major State Schools

Part 3: DET for Canadian Public Universities | Mid-to-Large Tier Institutions

Part 4: DET for Canadian Community Colleges | Employment & Immigration Pathways

⚠️ Data Notice: Admissions requirements shift without warning. Everything below was pulled directly from official institutional pages as of May 2026. Always confirm with your target department before submitting.

1. What Your DET Score Actually Means

Before hunting for your target school's cutoff, it helps to know where your score sits on the broader scale.

DET Score Band	CEFR Level Equivalence	Target Institutional Range
95 – 105	Intermediate (B1-B2)	Select College General Diplomas
105 – 110	Upper-Intermediate (B2)	Major College Programs, Lower-Tier Universities
110 – 115	Upper-Intermediate (B2+)	College IT/Business Programs, Mid-Tier 4-Year Universities
115 – 120	Advanced (B2+/C1)	Elite Colleges, Mid-to-High Canadian Universities, UC Berkeley Undergrad
120 – 125	Advanced (C1)	Top Canadian Universities (U of T, McMaster), Mid-High US Schools
125 – 130+	Highly Advanced (C1/C2)	McGill, UBC, SFU, NYU, Boston University, USC, Johns Hopkins
130+	Native-Like (C2)	UCLA, BCIT Tech Programs, JHU Competitive Majors

The rule I tell every student: If a 4-year degree in the US or Canada is your target, build

your preparation around 120+. For competitive fields — Nursing, Computer Science, Engineering — that bar climbs to 120–130+ depending on the school.

2. United States: Major 4-Year Universities Accepting DET

The majority of schools in the US News Top 100 now officially accept DET scores. That said, departmental requirements within the same university can vary considerably from the general institutional minimum — sometimes by 20+ points.

📍 East Coast (New York, Boston & Surrounding Areas)

University	Location	Minimum DET	Critical Insights & Disclaimers
Yale University	Connecticut	125	Competitive admits typically score 135+.
Cornell University	New York	110	Graduate programs jump to 120–130+.
Columbia University	New York	Not Specified	Officially accepted for undergrad; no public minimum disclosed.
NYU	New York	120	Stern School of Business sets higher internal expectations.
Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore	130	One of the strictest thresholds in the country.
Boston University	Boston	125 – 135	Departmental range spans 105 to 130.
Northeastern University	Boston	105 / 120+	105 general minimum; 120+ for Business/Engineering. Khoury CS Graduate School does not accept DET.
Harvard University	Boston	125+	⚠️ Undergraduate admissions do NOT accept DET. Select graduate programs only.
MIT	Boston	120+	⚠️ Undergraduate admissions do NOT accept DET. Limited graduate programs only.

📍 West Coast (California & Pacific Region)

University	Location	Minimum DET	Critical Insights & Disclaimers
Stanford University	Palo Alto	Not Specified	Officially accepted; no public minimum.
UCLA	Los Angeles	135	Among the highest requirements at any US public university.
USC	Los Angeles	130	⚠️ DET-only applicants must complete an on-campus English assessment (ALI) upon arrival.
UC Berkeley	Berkeley	115	⚠️ Undergrad accepts 115. The Graduate Division does NOT accept DET.

📍 Midwest & Other Key Regions

Northwestern University (Chicago): 120+ — Undergrad accepts DET; most graduate schools do not.

University of Chicago: 120

Duke University (North Carolina): 120+

Purdue University (Indiana): 110 (Undergrad) / 115 (Grad) ⚠️ Exception: The Computer Science Graduate program requires a flat 135 minimum — including all subscores.

❌ University of Michigan (Ann Arbor): Does NOT accept DET. A number of blogs still circulate a figure of 100. That information is outdated. UMich requires TOEFL or IELTS only. Don't apply based on third-party claims.

3. Canada: Top 4-Year Universities Accepting DET

Canada draws a significant portion of its international student population from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America — largely due to post-graduation work permit pathways. Roughly 90% of leading Canadian universities now accept DET at the undergraduate level. Graduate admissions are a different story — restrictions are significantly tighter.

University	Location	Min. DET	Subscore Requirements	Graduate Policy
University of Toronto	Toronto	120	Production: 120+	❌ Not accepted by SGS
McGill University	Montreal	125	Subscores required	❌ Not accepted for most programs
UBC	Vancouver	125	R/L: 115+, W/S: 120+	✅ Accepted (125+ with 115+ sub)
University of Waterloo	Waterloo	120	Literacy & Production: 125+	Varies by department
McMaster University	Hamilton	120	R:115, W:125, L:110, S:115	Varies by department
Simon Fraser University	Vancouver	125	Pilot program until Fall 2026	✅ Accepted (125+ with 105+ sub)
York University	Toronto	120	Engineering subscore: 105+	✅ Accepted (120+ depending on major)

4. Canadian Colleges: Tech & Business Fast-Track Programs

For students targeting PR pathways or work permit eligibility through diploma programs, Canadian public colleges offer a more direct route than universities — with lower score thresholds and faster completion timelines.

College	Location	Minimum DET	Highlighted Strengths
Seneca Polytechnic	Toronto	105 – 110	Strong in IT, Media, and Software Engineering.
Humber Polytechnic	Toronto	105	Diploma programs at 105; Computer Programming is highly competitive.
George Brown College	Toronto	110	Production subscore minimum of 90+ required. Downtown Toronto location.
Centennial College	Toronto	110 – 115	Scoring 125+ recommended to bypass mandatory COMM170 course.
Algonquin College	Ottawa	110	Literacy 110+, other subscores 95+. Strong government sector job connections.
⚠️ BCIT	Vancouver	130	Category 1 programs (IT, Computing, Engineering) require a flat 130 across all areas. Ignore any source claiming 110.

5. Nursing & Healthcare: Read This Before You Apply

If healthcare is your career target — Nursing, Pharmacy Tech, or anything clinical — the standard college score requirements don't apply to you. Medical programs in Canada enforce a separate, significantly higher bar.

❌ Humber Polytechnic (Nursing & Pharmacy Tech): Does NOT accept DET.

Online forums still claim otherwise. They're wrong. Humber's B.Sc. Nursing program requires IELTS Academic 7.0, with no individual band below 6.5. Full stop.

✅ Seneca Polytechnic (Practical Nursing): 115 – 120 · Literacy subscore must reach 120+

✅ Algonquin College (Practical Nursing / Pre-Health): 120 · Literacy 120+, all other subscores 105+

✅ York University (B.Sc. Nursing): 130

✅ Lakehead University (B.Sc. Nursing): 120 · General programs at this school require only 110 — healthcare is the exception

6. Score-Based Study Roadmap

Wherever you're starting from, here's how to think about the road ahead:

95 – 105: Ground up. Core vocabulary, foundational grammar, and reading/listening accuracy are your priorities. Don't skip the basics.

105 – 115: You have a base — now identify your weakest subscore and attack it specifically. Advanced vocabulary work begins here.

115 – 125: Your Production subscores (Speaking and Writing) are what separates you from the next tier. Work on structuring complex arguments under time pressure.

125 – 130+: The gap between you and a top score is in the details. Academic phrasing, pacing control, and eliminating recurring minor errors. Precision is everything at this stage.

7. Five Things Every International Applicant Needs to Know

① 120 is your real target. If you want a clean, straightforward application process at a strong 4-year school, build toward 120. Anything below that introduces risk.

② Subscores can disqualify you even when your total looks fine. Schools like U of T and Waterloo publish independent minimums for each subscore category. A strong total score won't save you if your Production or Literacy falls short of their individual cutoffs

③ Healthcare programs live in a different universe. Nursing and allied health paths require near-native proficiency — 120 to 130+ — or reject DET outright (Humber being the clearest example). Research your specific program before committing to a score target.

④ Undergrad and graduate policies are not the same. A school accepting DET for a Bachelor's degree tells you nothing about its Master's or Ph.D. requirements. Always verify at the program level.

⑤ Pilot program deadlines are real. SFU's DET acceptance is currently running as a pilot set to expire after Fall 2026. These things change. Check official pages regularly.

Final Thoughts

The first step to studying smart is knowing exactly what you're aiming for. Vague targets produce vague results — and in a process this high-stakes, vague isn't good enough.

At DETnT, we track official admissions updates continuously so you don't have to cross-reference five different sources and hope the information is current.

If this guide helped you narrow down your target score, hit follow for daily DET breakdowns, real-test pattern analysis, and strategies that actually move the needle.

Got a question about a specific school or program? Drop it in the comments — I read every one.

Now go build that score.

— Sam Sem ♥

DETnT · Verified as of May 2026 · Always confirm requirements directly with your target institution.

Want more DET practice?

Visit the DET Prep Navigation Hub — all resources, organized by skill area

DET Listen & Type Practice | Can You Catch the Difference? (60–160 Score Breakdown) (Post 1 of 2)

DET Listen & Type (Post 1 of 2) | Can You Catch the Difference? — Score-Based Sentence Breakdown (60–160 Level) By Teacher Sam Hey everyone, Teacher Sam here! 😊 Today we're diving into one of the most underestimated question types on the DET — Listen and Type (L&T) . The concept sounds simple enough. You hear a sentence, you type it out. Done, right? But here's what actually happens in the test room: "I heard it clearly… but how do I spell that word?" "I caught the beginning, but lost the end." "Wait — was that past tense or present tense?" Sound familiar? Here's the thing most test-takers miss: L&T isn't just a listening test. It's a writing test. Hearing the sentence is only half the battle. Spelling it correctly — punctuation included — is where the points are won or lost. Today, we're breaking down exactly how L&T sentences change across score bands, from the 60s all the way up to t...

Your expert resource for
Duolingo English Test success

Search This Blog